Movie Review: Frankenstein
Frankenstein begins with the introduction of the youth, Victor Frankenstein. Raised by a harsh father who expects perfection and confronting the reality of his late mother's death during his younger sibling's childbirth, Victor begins to cultivate a bitterness and overall cynicism towards God and his father. Driven by this new distress and grief, he vows to conquer death itself. This desire leads Victor to pursue medicine, a profession that his father, who is a doctor, encouraged him to learn. His quest to conquer death ultimately results in the creation of his monster, who goes on namelessly throughout the film.
The film was both touching and gruesome. It explores the monsters we create and the monsters we become. We often fail to recognize our true selves or at least the parts of us that "lie in wait beneath the surface" because we neglect to acknowledge the people we have become or the people we have been, much like Victor.
Artistry and Craft
The movie takes many liberties as an adaptation of the original novel. I personally liked some of the choices the filmmakers made, and I feel they emphasized some of the themes the author originally wanted to present to the original audience, such as responsibility. They also added new themes, including healing, reconciliation, and acknowledgment. There are some areas where the movie adaptation falls flat, especially with some of the grecian imagery in an effort to bring out the "modern Prometheus" aspect that Mary Shelly, the original author, originally titled her work and introduced the novel as it can come off as goofy or out of place. However, compared to previous adaptations, this Frankenstein adaptation is one of the best so far.
There is also the fact that a whole new side plot is added, while a small part of one is taken away that was in the original book. This, I would say, is a major change that changes key elements to the faithfulness of the adaptation, which at some points in the movie almost makes it a different story.
I found that the movie was made excellently, especially as it went on. At the beginning, because of my previously held biases toward the book, I was critical of some of the changes the filmmakers made. For example, the portrayal of Victor’s tower instead of the attic described in the novel, and Elizabeth's expanded role as a source of love and trust, are quite different from the book. But I feel this is one of those situations where art is created from art. This adaptation strengthens the moral messages in meaningful ways, and I really appreciated that. The movie also uses duality well, showing how different viewpoints can completely transform a story. One experience can be interpreted in many different ways, and the film emphasizes this beautifully. What may be one person's monster could be another person's friend, and that applies to us as people and our stories as well.
The costumes were excellent, and the CGI was surprisingly believable, except for the tower. If you are uncomfortable with blood or even mild gore, this is not the movie for you. It is not horror in the sense of fear, but it is very gory. By that, I mean the film contains violence and graphic imagery without relying on fear-based horror.
I also felt that some of the acting at the beginning was stiff and unconvincing, if not even awkward. However, as the movie continued, the actors seemed to find their rhythm, and their performances became natural and believable, with even some actors having an excellent performance.★★★
Themes and Messages
One of the central themes of Frankenstein is the idea of not judging a book by its cover. The creature is internally pure and good-hearted, although he appears ugly and deformed on the outside. Victor Frankenstein, meanwhile, is outwardly normal and accepted by society, but internally is twisted, broken, and corrupt. This contradiction is powerful, and was a refreshing take even though it's been done hundreds, if not thousands, of times before.
Arrogance and pride are also major themes, especially in Victor’s character. His sense of victimhood after his mother's death and his bitterness toward his father propel him into his obsession. His grief becomes a justification for his own darkness. Gradually, we see Victor Frankenstein becoming more and more monstrous. He is willing to sacrifice others, ignore morality, and deceive those around him to achieve his goals. This reveals the truth about who he really is, or at least who he has chosen to become. He lives only for his passions and obsessive desires.
As mentioned, the movie includes many gruesome and gory elements. I personally fast-forwarded through most of them. However, there's a certain benefit to the gore, as it highlights the alienness and wrongness of the violent and greedy part of human nature, if not the casual violence and death in society, contrasting with the monster, which should be obviously more alien to our senses. This duality highlights the nature of fallen humanity. This point is further emphasized when the creature is violently rejected by the majority of humans he comes into contact with; only then does he lower himself to becoming more like the monster Victor imagines him to be, venturing only then to become more like the humans he was made by and from.
A small but important part that the filmmakers added, like I mentioned before, is when regret and remorse are explored, even if only briefly. This brief part of softness, even though far from being a part of the original novel, adds an important message, and I appreciated the touch of warmth after such a brutal story of brokenness. ★★★★
Final thoughts
Although I hesitated at first and found it difficult to get into the movie, I really liked how it turned out, and I am grateful I watched it. Overall, I would not generally recommend this movie to a broad audience because it is extremely gory and violent, but based on its message and emotional impact, I would rate it four out of five stars for its strong themes and immense value. I recommend this movie to those who want a more faithful adaptation of the source material than previous adaptations and can stomach its violent content.★★★★
Content Discretions:
Wolf attack, Guns, Bodily gore, Anatomical representation and gore, Humanoid monster, Fire, Death, Graphic content, Grief, War and depiction of war.
That's all folks! If you've watched the movie or read the original book, what are your thoughts on this new adaptation? Feel free to comment below!❤❤❤
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